Knitting needle



Dec. 11, 1951 J. c. WINSLOW 2,578,117

KNITTING NEEDLE Filed Aug. "20, 1949 a /O n M67755 C. W/A/JLOM/ JNVENTOR.

- 1 BY QZ 'I I HT TO/P/VEX Patented Dec. 11, 1951 KNITTING NEEDLE James C. Winslow, Inglewood, Calif., assignor to Winslow Product Engineering Corp., Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application August 20, 1949, Serial No. 111,513

3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to knitting needles, and more particularly to knitting needle points.

The object of the invention is the provision of a new form of knitting needle point which will facilitate and improve hand knitting in various respects, viz: the picking up of a stitch; avoidance of the tendency to drop a stitch owing to point taper; increased speed; and finally, and in particular, improved uniformity of the work.

In the drawings, which show one illustrative embodiment of the invention:

Figure l is a side elevation of a needle in accordance with the invention; and

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail of the point of the needle of Figure 1.

The needle of the invention has the usual cylindrical shank it, which joins with my unique tip i I, the latter consisting of preferably straightsided frusto-conical section l2 merging at its large end with shank i0, and at its small end with a slender, straight-sided and somewhat elongated cylindrical tip !3, the latter being preferably rounded at its extremity, as indicated at M.

The cylindrical tip I 3 is preferably of a length in the range from to A,", but may be within the approximate outside limits of 1%" to 1%". The diameter of the tip it? is preferably about .052" for all sizes of shank in over .079", and is preferably .046" for a shank size of .079, while the outside limits for the diameter of the tip i3 are about .040" and .060" for the smaller sized needles, being proportionately increased for the larger needles. The total included angle of the conical section i2 is preferably in the range from 14 to 18, with approximately outside limits of 12 and 20.

In the making of a stitch in the normal knitting operation, the point of one needle is inserted through the loop of a stitch already surrounding the point of the other needle. Using the old type of conically pointed needles, the two conical points thus both thrust simultaneously through the stitch, stretch the same to a more or less degree, and the result is non-uniformity in the work. If the effect is made to operate close to the extremities of the two conical needle points, so as to avoid any such stretching effect, there is great likelihood of the stitch slipping oif the point, and there is substantial difiiculty involved in recapturing it, as is well known. With the needles of the present invention, the stitch is first slipped down from the shank ill onto the slender cylindrical tip [3, where it is still secure against being dropped, both because of the elongation of the said tip and the absence of taper therealong. The slender cylindrical tip l3 of the other needle is then inserted through the stitch. This operation does not stretch or expand the stitch beyond its original size, because the two tips 13 together are no greater in size when in contact with one another than is the original stitch. The new stitch is formed on the tip is of the second needle by the usual manipulation, and is sized as it is immediately thereafter moved up over the conical section I 2 onto the shank.

The stitch forming operation is thus performed exclusively on the slender cylindrical tips or extensions I3, with the use of which the stitch making operation can be deftly and speedily executed. Since the old stitch on the first needle is slipped down onto the slender cylindrical tip of that needle, the slender cylindrical tip of the other finds the stitch already loosened, and hence easy to penetrate. All taper being removed from these tip portions, no tendency for dropped stitches remains, and speed is enhanced for both reasons. And because the slender cylindrical tips do not stretch the old stitch, a new uniformity of product is gained. This uniformity is assured, because the maximum stretch of the yarn comes at the time the just-formed stitch is slipped up over the cone onto the shank. All stitches must therefore be of exactly the same length, and the outstanding accomplishment of my needles is a uniformity in the work never before achieved.

I claim:

1. A knitting needle comprising a shank formed with a point which includes a frusto-conical section merging at its large end with said shank, and a slender elongated straight-sided cylindrical tip section joined to the small end of said frusto-conical section, said point terminating at the outer extremity of said cylindrical tip section in a blunt rounded-over end.

2. A knitting needle according to claim 1, wherein said frusto-conical section has a total included angle of between 14 and 18, and wherein said straight-sided cylindrical tip section has a length of between approximately A," and 3. A knitting needle according to claim 1, wherein said straight-sided cylindrical tip section has a length greater than three times its diameter. I

JAMES C. WINSLOW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,045,267 Graham June 23, 1936 2,245,893 Armitage June 17, 1941 2,271,477 Davis Jan. 27, 1942 

